Chapter 1344: The Zhang Clan's Secret 1

"Indeed. The activation of their bloodline can grant them heightened sensitivity toward treasures, allowing them to perceive the presence of treasures even through obstacles such as formations!" Luo Xuanqing nodded with a hint of envy in his eyes.

"For this reason, despite being only a Tier-2 Sage Clan, the standing of the Yun Clan is not beneath that of the Shui Clan and the Mu Clan."

Cultivators required a huge deal of resources in order to advance their cultivation, and there were countless treasures and ancient domains that had been hidden by old experts using all kinds of mystical means. Just the ability to perceive the presence of treasures through formations was already an ability that would leave countless brimming with envy.

"Is that considered a unique occupation?" Zhang Xuan asked in curiosity.

"Of course not! They are only able to seek out treasures through their bloodline, so it's impossible for them to propagate such an ability to the masses." Luo Xuanqing chuckled.

"I see." Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.

Kong shi had determined that in order for a certain heritage to be considered a unique occupation, it had to meet two requirements. Firstly, it needed to form a complete, individual system with a perfect heritage. Secondly, it had to be able to be available to the masses, such that most cultivators would be able to learn it.

Herbologists met the second requirement, in the sense that most cultivators were able to learn it, but there were simply too many different heritages in order to form a complete and wholesome system. As for the Yun Clan, they probably had a complete heritage, but due to their capability being built on a bloodline, ordinary individuals were unable to learn it, so it could not be considered a unique occupation.

"It seems like there's no way for me to learn it then..." Zhang Xuan shook his head regretfully.

What he lacked at the moment were cultivation resources. If he could gain the ability to perceive the presence of treasures, he would be able to easily gather the resources he required to advance his cultivation. However, since it was only limited to the bloodline of the Yun Clan, it seemed like there was no way for him to learn it.

As powerful as the Library of Heaven's Path was, there was no way it could allow him to imitate the bloodline ability of others.

"If it was a unique occupation, there would surely be countless willing to die to learn it!" Luo Xuanqing nodded.

After a moment of chatter, Zhang Xuan gained a deeper understanding of the strengths of the group.

His future brother-in-law was the strongest of all with a cultivation of Saint 7-dan Phantasmal Space realm pinnacle, followed by Bi Hongyin at Phantasmal Space realm advanced stage.

The one who boasted the strongest defensive prowess turned out to possess the weakest offensive power in the group, such that even subduing Yun Lianhai would be a trouble to him. But at the same time, due to his superior defensive prowess, even Luo Xuanqing would have trouble defeating him.

"Alright, let's set off now!"

After gaining an understanding of each member's strengths and weaknesses, they swiftly got onto the back of the Seven-colored Divine Crane. With a resounding chirp, the divine crane warped into a flash of seven colors and soared into the horizon.

There were no protective formations or structures on the Seven-colored Divine Crane, so there was nothing to guard one against the unrelenting assault of the wind resulting from the swift movement of the divine crane. As Saint 7-dan experts, Luo Xuanqing and the others were unaffected by the wind, but they could not help but be surprised to see that Zhang Xuan was completely unfazed by it as well.

Even if the young man had made a massive breakthrough to Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle, there should have been a huge gap between his fighting prowess and theirs. To be able to stand steadily before the raging winds despite his lacking cultivation, it was apparent that the young man's astounding talent did not just stop at formations.

"Given Brother Zhang's deep understanding of formations and decent strength, you must have achieved quite a result in the Mountain Gate examination, right?" the shorty, Bi Lianhai, asked with a rather unnerving grin.

The others also directed curious gazes over as well.

Most senior students who had reached their level of cultivation had already grown disinterested in the affairs of the freshmen, so very few of them paid heed to the entrance examinations. As a result, despite the huge commotion that Zhang Xuan had caused, they were completely unaware of it.

"I did just alright," Zhang Xuan replied. "I'm ranked fiftieth, just enough for me to get into the Elite Division."

"You are fiftieth?" Yun Lianhai was shocked. "Just who in the world is in your cohort? To think that we would have so many formidable freshmen this year!"

With the level of proficiency in formations the young man before him had, he should have been able to easily get into the top three. Why would he only be fiftieth?

That was a really dangerous position to be in! The slightest carelessness could have spelt the loss of his candidacy for the Elite Division!

"There are indeed quite a few talented students in their cohort." Before Zhang Xuan could reply, Luo Xuanqing had already spoken up. "You should have heard of the Zhang Clan's Zhang Yu before, right? He's in the same cohort as them!"

"Zhang Yu? You mean the lad who possesses Earth-tier bloodline? I have met him once, and he's indeed a formidable individual. In time to come, there's a good chance that he could reach a level on par with you!"

"Humph!" Luo Xuanqing harrumphed in displeasure upon hearing those words.

"There's no need for you to get so mad at that. Even though there have been many talented individuals among the Zhang Clan in recent years, none of them come close to comparing with the little princess of your Luo Clan!" Yun Lianhai chuckled softly.

Speaking of the little princess, a hint of admiration unwittingly crept into the depths of his eyes.

Clenching his fists tightly beneath his sleeves, Zhang Xuan asked with feigned nonchalance, "Brother Yun, is the little princess you speak of... the renowned figure who managed to cultivate the Dimension Silencer?"

"Indeed! I'm referring to Xuanqing's younger sister!"

Paying no heed to Luo Xuanqing's darkened complexion, Yun Lianhai began gossiping enthusiastically. "Speaking of which, Xuanqing, I heard that your younger sister has been betrothed to the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan since her birth. May I know if that young prodigy is really as talented as everyone makes him out to be?"

"Shut your mouth!" Luo Xuanqing bellowed as he glared at Yun Lianhai with narrowed eyes. "I warned you never to bring up this matter before me, or else don't blame me for getting nasty!"

The fatty, Yuan Xiao, shrugged nonchalantly at Luo Xuanqing's rage. "Regardless of whether we speak of the matter or not, that is a decision made by the elders of both clans. Your rage won't change anything."

As an offspring of the Yuan Clan, which was second only to the Three Great Sage Clans, he was well-informed of the matter concerning the betrothal between the little princess of the Luo Clan and the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan. He knew that the overly-affectionate brother was afraid that his younger sister would be unhappy after marrying into the Zhang Clan, but as the offspring of one of the strongest Sage Clans, there were some responsibilities that they simply could not shirk off.

Such an important decision was bound to have received the mutual consensus of the elders of both clans. Not even the head of the Luo Clan had the power to reverse the decision at this point.

"I might not be able to change anything from my side, but I can at least try to pull some strings from the other end. If I ever get my hands on that fellow, I'll definitely pummel him until he backs down from the engagement!" Luo Xuanqing gnashed his teeth furiously.

"Why do you have to make things difficult for yourself?" Yun Lianhai sighed deeply. "If that young prodigy of the Zhang Clan is really as great as the legends make him out to be, the purity of his bloodline will be a match for even that of your younger sister. Do you really think that you'll be a match for him?"

"I..." Luo Xuanqing's face flushed crimson.

As powerful as he was, he was well aware that he came nowhere close to matching his younger sister!

Even though his younger sister was more than a decade younger than him, her cultivation and fighting prowess had already reached a level far beyond his.

If that young prodigy of the Zhang Clan was really a genius of the same caliber as his younger sister, there was no way he would be a match for the other party.

At this point, the silent Bi Hongyin suddenly chirped, "Speaking of the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan, I happen to have overheard of some secrets surrounding him. Are you all interested in hearing them?"

"Secrets?"

Everyone quickly turned their gazes over, and even the cold-faced Luo Xuanqing pricked up his ears to listen in as well.

"Twenty years ago, my teacher was invited to the Zhang Clan as an honorary guest. One night in his accommodation, the head of the Zhang Clan suddenly knocked on her door, requesting her to follow him to save someone," Bi Hongyin said with a contemplative look in her eyes, seemingly trying to recall the conversation she had with her teacher back then.

"The head of the Zhang Clan? Are you referring to the 'Xingmeng Sword Saint'?" Yuan Xiao asked with a hint of respect in his voice.

"Indeed, that's him!" Bi Hongyin nodded. "Back then, my teacher was extremely perplexed by his actions. As a demonic tunist, she wasn't adept in treating and curing others, so it was bewildering to her why the head of the Zhang Clan would suddenly request her presence. However, as soon as she saw the patient, the answer was immediately apparent to her.

"The person who was ill was an infant. My teacher couldn't tell whether the infant was poisoned or what, but his soul was in an extremely feeble state, about to dissipate at any moment. The Xingmeng Sword Saint wanted my teacher to play a demonic tune to stabilize his soul."

The crowd nodded.

Demonic tunes could crumble a person's mental fortitude and destroy their mind, but at the same time, it could also reinforce one's soul and induce a significant rise in one's cultivation.

It would be unwise to feed medicine to a weak infant, so in such a scenario, it was indeed much more suitable to engage the help of a demonic tunist than a physician.

"My teacher agreed to make a move, but the effects weren't too pronounced. Nevertheless, the Xingmeng Sword Saint still compensated my teacher handsomely for her assistance. Following that, my teacher was escorted out of the residence, and she has no idea what happened to the infant afterward..."

Coming to a realization, Yuan Xiao could not help but ask, "Are you trying to say that the infant that your teacher treated back then is likely... the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan?"

"Well, there's no way to tell for sure anymore, but considering how coincidental the timing was and the fact that the Xingmeng Sword Saint invited my teacher over personally... But thinking again, given how the young prodigy was assessed to possess unmatched purity in his bloodline even when he was still in his mother's womb, there should be no doubt that the Zhang Clan would devote all of its resources into protecting him. It's unthinkable that anyone would be able to breach the tight defenses of the Zhang Clan and harm him!" Bi Hongyin analyzed with a confused frown.

"My teacher didn't think too much into the matter then, but since that encounter then, it seems like no one has seen the young prodigy in public. Thus, she couldn't help but harbor some doubts about the matter."

If nothing was wrong with the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan, how could he have hidden from the sight of the world for twenty whole years?

Not to mention, to even opt against enrolling into the Sanctum of Sages?

There were indeed too many doubts shrouding the young prodigy that one could not help but think deeper into.

"If the person whom your teacher treated twenty years back was truly the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan, that would mean that someone severely injured him shortly after he was born. It's really hard to believe something like that to be true..." Yuan Xiao frowned.

As offspring of Sage Clans, they knew how protective their clans were toward offspring who possessed the purest of bloodlines. This was the first offspring in the several dozen millenniums' history of the Zhang Clan to possess a bloodline comparable to their founder, so how could they possibly allow anyone to harm him right after his birth?

Zhang Xuan could not help but ask, "Could it be the work of internal rivalry within the Zhang Clan?"

If the person who was severely ill back then was truly the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan, that would truly be for the best. Naturally, the worse state the young prodigy was in, the more unworthy he was of marrying Luo Ruoxin!

"Impossible! A Sage Clan like the Zhang Clan pays particular heed to its reputation and prestige. There's no way internal strife or anything of that sort could happen in their midst!" The one who spoke up was Luo Xuanqing.

As a genius of the Luo Clan, he was deeply aware of how Sage Clans operated.

"But just because the Zhang Clan pays particular heed to its reputation and prestige doesn't mean that it's impossible for such a thing to happen. Who knows? There might just be an ambitious elder who would attempt to assassinate the young prodigy out of desire for the position of clan head!"

As a librarian in his previous life, Zhang Xuan had read plenty of books and stories. This was a common plot in most family strife.

Before Luo Xuanqing could speak, Yuan Xiao shook his head and replied, "You aren't from a Sage Clan, so you aren't aware of the rules that govern us... I can tell you very clearly right now that the situation you have proposed is impossible to happen!"

"Impossible to happen?" Zhang Xuan blinked in incomprehension.

Power could blind the eyes of others, and not even 9-star master teachers were infallible to that, let alone the elders of the Sage Clans. How could anyone guarantee that it was impossible for such a thing to happen?

There was bound to be a reason such a plotline became a cliché!

Seeing the look of confusion on Zhang Xuan's face, Yuan Xiao shook his head once more. "You might not be able to comprehend it if I explain it from our perspective, so why don't I phrase it this way instead?

"You should know that there's a sanctum head to our Sanctum of Sages, right?"